THE MIDNIGHT DRIVE

Nearly every car enthusiast I speak to can tell me exactly how the desire to own their dream car started, what they were doing, what they had seen or heard to make them certain that the model or even more specifically a particular car was for them. Ross Brown was no different to this, I spoke to Ross recently to get the down low on his Midnight Purple Widebody S15.

“It all started when I was scrolling through Facebook and laid eyes on a beautiful widebody s15 cruising through the hills in Sydney I instantly imagined myself being behind the wheel.”Soon after fantasizing about the silvia he discovered it was for sale, and despite being interstate he had a deposit on it within a few hours. “If something truly moves you and it generates pure excitement it’s well worth travelling for.”

The only true concern for the drive home being the lack of e85 stops on the way back to Melbourne. – “Was having vivd thoughts of me, a tow truck and a widebody s15 in Canberra.”

After a 12+ hour round trip the car was at its new home and after admiring, Ross had envisioned what he wanted from his new car. “I was over being hassled by police and always watching my back and getting defected. I wanted something that didn’t have to conform and be street legal, it was basically going to be a show/track car only.”

A few months passed and flaws began to emerge, the stock gearbox was unable to handle the power of the upgraded sr20 and was soon replaced with an RB 25 gearbox, sporting a twin plate clutch and Nismo 1.5 dif. Soon followed by the brakes, a set of D2 8 pots up front and r33 2 pots in the rear with a GT-R 34 BM52 Brake booster to help pull the car to a stop on a dime.

Coupled with a set of Shockworks coil overs, complete set of SPL arms and rods and solid subframe bushes the car was ready for anything the track could throw at it.

After a few track days Ross noticed the considerable lag with the turbo setup, “The configuration was a little sluggish, I was counting to 3 seconds on most straights until the freight train of power pushed you back into the seat. I spoke to my mechanic and both agreed a smaller turbo would be a great place to start. The entire hot side came off, and a Garrett GT30 was installed and new Tomei titanium exhaust and dump pipe followed.”

As with most enthusiasts the build never really reaches completion, “I’m currently working on the aero side of the car as I think this along with a CAMS approved roll cage is the next step in this cars evolution.” Ross can’t personally foresee selling the S15, for now it provides enough excitement for him, “to me, this car ticks all my boxes, it’s probably something I will hold onto for a while. Who knows? Maybe I’ll be a cool grandpa?” He sees his car as his own form of gratification in the way he has built it, realising that these days gratification is more about the likes on Facebook and Instagram rather than the feeling of accomplishment that comes with working hard on a project that could take years to complete, coupled with the patience needed to endeavour on such a journey. “My drive comes from that little voice I hear inside my head and the vision you continually see before you go to sleep, it’s what keeps me going until I make it a reality.”

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About the author

Painter/Decorator, Born and raised in the South Coast NSW and owner of a 2007 Evolution IX Special Edition.
I invest my spare time with my mates in the garage working on each other’s cars. I constantly try and immerse myself in automotive culture, I thrive on discovering new and exciting people within the community.